Lap Time, Bath Time and What Follows
by love.u.always.mom
Summary: In Catching Fire, Katniss mentions that Haymitch went into withdrawal when Ripper ran out of liquor. This is my version of what happened during the time Haymitch was in withdrawal and what happens after. Hayniss (Haymitch/Katniss) lemons; one-shot. Rated 'M' for a reason. My first fic published on here. Please R&R! If you recognize it, it's not mine.


Ripper's supply of liquor had run out, and Haymitch's screaming was becoming unbearable. His last drink had been the day before, and it was becoming clear just how bad his withdrawl was. Peeta had no idea what do do for him, and had finally given up and gone home, unable to bear the screaming any more.

Katniss was sitting on Haymitch's couch next to him, waiting for him to wake again and go on screaming in terror. She had no idea what he was seeing, but she had a feeling it was something from his Games. She never thought she'd say it, but she would give almost anything to have liquor there to give him. Seeing him like this was breaking her heart, because he was usually such a confident, albeit crass and sarcastic, person. But here he was, screaming in terror with tears flowing down his face.

At that moment, he began to wake again, and she could hear him whimpering. The sound dug straight into her heart, and at that moment she would do almost anything to make it stop. The whimpers soon rose to screams, and without thinking she did something she hadn't yet. She took his hands in her own. Earlier she hadn't dared, and neither had Peeta, for fear of startling him and getting hit.

But the moment she took his hands he seemed to finally see her. "Katniss?" He whispered, clearly unsure if she was really there. A moment later he screamed again, but this time there were words. "Katniss NO!" And he swung viciously at the air next to her, and all she could think was he was seeing someone attack her.

A thought struck her, and without pausing to think, she shifted and sat down on Haymitch's lap, pulling his arms around her. Maybe, just maybe, if he could feel a physical body in his arms, it might help him realize the hallucinations weren't real. And it seemed to work a little. She felt his arms constrict around her as he screamed, but then he seemed to realize she was still there, and very much alive.

And now he was quieting some, but she didn't dare move, because she knew that the moment she did, he would be screaming again. But for now, he was fairly quiet, whimpering and clutching her to his chest, but it was a vast improvement. Suddenly, her exhaustion hit her, and she realized it was nearly dawn. Gently, she laid herself against his chest and put her head on his shoulder. It felt nice, being curled up with him that way. And with a promise to herself to examine those thoughts later, Katniss slept.

She awoke to someone shaking her shoulder, and opened her eyes to see Peeta staring down at her with confusion in his eyes. As she awoke more, she realized she was still sitting on Haymitch's lap, snuggled tightly in his embrace, and colored a little.

"Feeling someone seems to help. I grabbed at his hands once, and he stopped screaming for a few seconds when he realized I was there. But he started screaming again and I realized one of his hallucinations must have killed me, so I tried this and it worked. He screamed for a bit, but then he seemed to realize I was still alive and he calmed down."

Peeta nodded in understanding. "That makes sense I guess. I'm glad it finally stopped."

"So am I, I couldn't take it anymore. I never thought I'd see the day I was wishing he had liquor. I'll have to remember to start stocking once Ripper gets more."

Peeta nodded at that. "I will too."

Peeta stayed for a while, and they talked about mindless things, but finally he left for the bakery, saying he would let her mother know where she was. When he was gone, Katniss reached for the remote to turn on the TV. Nothing that played was pleasant, but it was better than nothing at all.

After another half hour, she felt Haymitch begin to stir. She watched his face carefully, but was soon distracted by something pressing insistently at her hip. She looked down instinctively, and blushed deep red when she noticed the tent forming in his pants. Frozen in shock, it took her brain a few seconds to remember something her mother had told her and Prim one morning, when one of her male patients began to wake. It was normal. Men got erections when they woke.

The logical explanation didn't entirely curb her embarassment, however. She had never thought of Haymitch in a sexual way before, but with his manhood pressing so insistently against her hip, it was difficult not to, and for the first time, she felt something akin to desire. He wasn't unattractive, and was obviously extremely strong, despite spending the last quarter century at the bottom of a bottle.

She was distracted though, by renewed whimpering, and arms constricting her once more. Quickly, she freed her arms and put them around him, tucking her body tightly to his. An idea struck her, and she turned her head until her face was an inch from his neck, so he would be able to feel her breathing. It seemed to soothe him some, and so she stayed like that for the next couple of hours, forgetting completely about the thoughts that had surfaced when he had woken.

And that was how the next week was spent, for the most part. He slept quite often, which she was grateful for. The first time Gale had come over, after being told yet again that she was with Haymitch, he seemed stunned to find her sitting on his lap, but conceded when she explained. He too had seen Haymitch before she had clambered into his lap, and so Gale seemed glad that she had found a way to comfort him.

Prim had offered one day to trade with her for a few hours, to give her a break, but Katniss had denied her. When the hallucinations were in full force, Haymitch crushed her to him with every ounce of strength he had, and she didn't want to put Prim in that position. Prim was dainty and slim, and the pressure of Haymitch's grip might even snap her sister's bones.

And so Katniss stayed in Haymitch's lap, and her mother, Prim, Peeta and Gale took turns keeping her company. Often Prim and her mother came over at mealtimes, and occasionally they were able to coax some food into Haymitch. And Katniss took it upon herself to care for him, to take him to the bathroom when he was more lucid and even bathe him. Naked bodies didn't bother her so much anymore, with the number of people that came through their home. Something about seeing Haymitch was different, though. She had realized as she was helping to undress him the first time, that she actually wanted to see him.

His torso was littered with small scars, and one large, obvious one, and she figured it was from the Games. She thought back to her own Games, and all the scars she should have, but didn't, and figured that maybe they hadn't had the full body polish when Haymitch had been in the Games. Or maybe he didn't want it. But something about the scars was attractive. It showed what he had survived. Even though he was very lean, he was extremely muscular, as the bruises littering her arms and torso would attest to.

It was as her fingers unbuttoned his jeans that she realized she was going to see just what kept poking her, as she hadn't gone into the bathroom with him before then, and the thought brought a blush to her cheeks. Unfortunately for her, Haymitch chose that moment to be fairly lucid. "Afraid you're gonna like what you see sweetheart?"

"Well if you're lucid enough to be a smartass, you must be lucid enough to bathe yourself," she said quickly, making to walk out the door. His hand caught her wrist, though, and she turned around to look at him and found him wide-eyed, his smile gone.

"Don't leave," he whispered, and his eyes flicked around her, and she realized that his moment of lucidity was gone.

"I won't, Haymitch. I'm here." He nodded and fell silent, and her fingers returned to his pants. Averting her eyes as much as possible, she helped him into the tub and began bathing him. Her heart picked up speed, though, when she realized he had fallen asleep in the tub. She felt heat creep up her neck and into her cheeks as she gingerly shook him awake, and couldn't keep her eyes away when he grew hard. She was surprised when she realized how big he was, the tip reaching his navel as he reclined in the tub. Thankfully, he wasn't even close to lucid now, and didn't seem to notice her stare.

But each time he awoke and she felt his erection press against her, that feeling pooled in her belly once more, burning hotter each time, until there was no way for her to deny that she wanted him. She was a virgin, her only experience was her kisses with Peeta in the arena, and she'd never explored her own body, but she wanted him. There was no way to get away from it, he wasn't just Haymitch to her anymore, and he never would be again. He was a man, she had felt evidence of it press against her, and she wanted him.

Finally, the ninth morning, he didn't whimper when he woke. Instead, he shifted uncomfortably, and she turned to look at him to see that his eyes were clear, and his cheeks were pink.

"Haymitch? Is it over?" She asked, hoping against all odds that the hallucinations were finally gone.

"Yeah, it is. Can you, ah..." His eyes flicked down to where his erection was pressing against her once more, and for once, something overrode the desire she felt, though it still blazed within her. Humor. She couldn't help but laugh at his discomfort, apparently not remembering the last few days.

"Please, Haymitch, I've been sitting on your lap for a week, I'm used to it," she said with a grin.

He blushed, but let it go in favor of something else. "And why are you on my lap, anyway sweetheart?"

She sobered then, remembering his screams of terror. "It made you stop screaming," she said softly. "I don't know what you were seeing but when I grabbed your hand you stopped for a few seconds. I was ready to do anything, so I did this, and it worked."

He smiled at her, and it was a rare smile. It wasn't a sarcastic smile, it was genuine. "Thank you sweetheart."

Three weeks later, Katniss had been spending significantly more time with Haymitch, now that he was sober, helping to keep the images from his subconcious at bay. There were nights where she stayed with him, his arms around her keeping both of their nightmares at bay, and times during the day when she would opt to spend her day with him.

One day, Katniss had come over in late morning to hear Haymitch walking around upstairs, and decided to seek him out.

"Haymitch?" She called out once she reached the landing.

"In here," came a reply from his room. "Come on in."

She opened the door just as Haymitch was turning around, evidently still hunting for a shirt to wear, as he wasn't wearing one yet. Memories assulted her when she saw him bare-chested before her, and she stopped in her tracks, the feeling of want that had, for the most part left her alone, coiling inside her once more. It was fairly uncommon to find Haymitch not wearing a shirt, maybe because of the thick scar that she didn't yet know the full story behind.

Katniss didn't realize she was standing there staring until Haymitch's voice finally broke through, sounding amused. "Like what you see sweetheart?" Katniss blushed, and tried to shake her thoughts away, but didn't quite succeed. All she could see in her mind's eye was Haymitch laying nude in his tub, fully erect.

"Sorry, just a little distracted today," she said, trying to wave it off.

"Nice try, sweetheart. What's on your mind? Other than my body, that is." He gave her a grin, and she knew he was teasing her, so she decided to throw him for a loop.

"That is what's on my mind actually," she said simply, as if it were nothing at all.

"Very funny sweetheart. Now seriously, what's up?"

"I'm completely serious," she said in a slightly playful tone. "I did have to bathe you during that week you were checked out on us." He turned quickly to look her in the eye. "And, well, you happened to fall asleep in the tub a couple times, so of course I had to wake you up before I got you out of the tub and..." She let her sentence trail off, throwing a lingering glance at his crotch to make her meaning obvious. She vaguely noticed that they had somehow ended up almost chest to chest.

"And what, sweetheart?" He asked her softly, the desire he felt obvious in his eyes, and she knew hers must be just as obvioius.

"And now whenever I look at you, that's all I can see..." Their bodies were touching now, and his hands were cradling her hips while hers rested on his chest.

He was leaning down toward her as he whispered his next sentence. "Tell me then, sweetheart, do you like what you see?"

Her lips brushed lightly against his when she answered. "I can't quite see what I want to yet," she murmured against his lips, before kissing him deeply. His hands pulled her hips flush with his, and she could feel his long, thick erection against her belly as his tongue forced its way into her mouth. She pressed her body roughly against his, making him growl down in his throat before attacking her mouth with renewed vigor.

Her skin burned where it met his, and she needed more. Just as she was thinking it, his hands found the hem of her shirt and tugged it over her head before throwing it to the floor, her bra following seconds later. And then his hands were on her breasts and her head fell back, moaning as his thumbs caressed her nipples.

He pushed her backward until her knees were against the foot of his bed, and she sat down on it, scooting back as he climbed over her. She tilted her head back, and he took her invitation, sucking and biting his way down her throat to her collarbone and past, before coming to her heaving breasts. He toyed with her then, licking and nipping but taking his time before giving her what she truly wanted, closing his mouth over one nipple and sucking it eagerly, and then turning his attention to the other.

His fingers found the snap of her pants and undid them quickly, guiding them off her hips to leave her naked below him. He took her body in slowly, and she felt her skin heat under his gaze. "So beautiful," he murmured, before letting his mouth slide down below her breasts. He kissed his way down to her navel, and it wasn't until he moved below it that she realized what his intent must be.

"Haymitch?" She panted nervously. This wasn't something she had ever heard of before.

"Trust me, sweetheart," he said, kissing lightly where her thigh met her groin on both sides. His tongue snaked out and touched her, and she bucked her hips with a loud cry. He doubted she had any idea what the tiny bundle of nerves could make her feel, but he intended to show her.

It only took a few short minutes of licks and flicks with his tongue before she came with a scream, writhing and shaking under his hands. He crawled back on top of her, and her hands immediately went to his pants, undoing them with an ease that proved she had undressed him before, and sliding them down his hips and off his legs. Her mouth opened slightly as she looked down at his erection, and he caught her meaning.

"Not this time sweetheart. Unlike you, I'm one and done. You don't want this to be over before it starts, do you?" She looked at him carefully for a moment before shaking her head slightly. "I didn't think so." Haymitch positioned himself at her entrance, he had already noticed she was a virgin, and an intact one at that. No slipping and getting racked on a branch in her tree climbing history apparently. He stopped then, and looked down at her carefully, meeting her eyes. "This is gonna hurt sweetheart. You sure you want to do this?"

She nodded at him, and he leaned down to kiss her, hoping to distract her slightly from the pain. She wrapped her legs around his hips, and he pushed into her in one strong, sure thrust. She cried out beneath him, and he cradled her face in his hands, kissing her softly and tenderly while the pain subsided. Finally, after what felt like years, her legs began to flex around him, and he shifted his hips slightly, letting her make sure the pain was gone before he got going.

A small whine left her throat, and he drew out of her slowly. He heard her noise of protest and felt her heels pushing against his butt, and he slid into her again, slowly. Her body arched beneath him, and he repeated the action, still moving slowly. Soon, she was attempting to press herself down on him, and he knew that her body really was ready. He didn't mean to tease her, but he didn't want her to think her body was ready and then hurt her once more.

He increased his pace, and she began to squirm and moan beneath him. Finally, he let go of all restraint, thrusting quickly, angling his hips until he got the reaction he wanted from her and holding that position as he rocked into her quickly. His hands were still cradling her face, and he looked into her eyes before leaning down and meeting her lips with his as she came undone with a cry of his name. And hearing his name on her lips while she was in the throes of ecstasy brought about his own release, and he spilled deep inside her with a cry of her name.

He collapsed next to her with a grunt and pulled her against him, stroking her hair gently as their breathing returned to a normal pace. Her hand touched his cheek and he looked down at her, and she stroked his face as she leaned up to kiss him. His fingers threaded through her hair as his mouth lingered on hers, unwilling to let her go. When they did, though, she looked into his eyes and smiled gently, and he took his turn to kiss her, quickly and tenderly. Her arms wound around his torso, and she laid her head on his shoulder as his arms found their way around her body, holding her close to him.

He continued to stroke her hair as her fingers trailed up and down his torso. He felt something stirring inside his chest, and he knew by the way she looked at him that she felt it too. She sighed deeply, curling herself around him more, and he was glad for the connection they had. They didn't need words to know that they both wanted to explore whatever this might be between them.

**FIN**


End file.
